Kumi Naidoo named Amnesty International’s next secretary general

Kumi Naidoo has been named as the next secretary general of global human rights organisation Amnesty International.

Mr Naidoo will succeed Salil Shetty from August 2018 following the end of Mr Shetty’s second term.

The secretary general is Amnesty’s leader and spokesperson and the chief executive of its international secretariat.

Mr Naidoo, who hails from South Africa, is an activist and civil society leader with previous leadership roles in Greenpeace, the Global Call for Climate Action, the Global Call to Action against Poverty and CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

He holds a BA in Law and Political Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford.

Mr Naidoo said: “Amnesty International’s campaigns for justice and equality today are more urgent than ever, and I am humbled and honoured to be leading the organisation in these challenging times.”

The outgoing secretary general, Mr Shetty, added: “I am delighted to hand over the reins when for the first time in Amnesty’s history, we have both the Secretary General and Board Chair from Africa.”